Researsh & Study
The research specifically looks into the relationship between wages and working conditions of adult workers and the extent to which their children attend school or are engaged in paid/unpaid work.
Objectives: The objective of the research is to assess how the wages and working conditions of adult workers in export-oriented garment factories affect workers’ abilities to meet basic needs. The research also focuses on school attendance and the ‘working life’ of garment workers’ children.
Methodology: The Stop Child Labour Coalition (SCL) commissioned SOMO to carry out this research, which has been compiled through desk and field research undertaken by in cooperation with the Capacity Building Service Group (CBSG) and Bangladesh Labour Welfare Foundation (BLF). BLF provided valuable advice and assistance during the field research and was responsible for the selection of respondents. Field research was undertaken in this study which gathered data by conducting a series of interviews with garment workers and their children. Most of the participant were female. Only workers with children of school-going age were selected for the interview.
Findings: The majority of workers in Bangladesh’s garment industry are female migrants who left their rural villages to survive. Most interviewed workers reported that their basic wage was insufficient to meet their families’ needs, necessitating overtime work. This report highlights that low wages significantly impact the lives of garment workers and their families, especially their children. Almost all families rely on multiple income earners. Besides low wages, long working hours negatively affect garment workers’ children, leaving little time for parents to spend with their children or handle household chores. The research indicates a link between child labour and low wages for adult workers. Low wages and long hours often lead parents to pull their children out of school. The working children in this report are not part of the buying companies’ supply chains but work in other companies or sectors. However, this form of child labour may result from the low wages in the export-oriented garment industry.
Recommendation:
- Brands and retailers sourcing from Bangladesh should Assess the impact of current purchasing practices, pricing strategies and cost structures, wages and working conditions in their supply chain and on its effects on the rights of children.
- The corporate responsibility to respect human rights also applies to manufacturers, which should address and end all labour rights violations, including excessive and unregistered overtime.
